Carved from apricot wood. Growing an apricot tree: planting, care, reproduction

Tree pruning is one of the elements of plant care technology. Regular pruning of apricots affects the development of the tree, increases productivity. Professionals recommend systematic crop cutting due to several factors:

• Apricot is a photophilous culture, needs good lighting, but develops quickly, grows with a high and thickened crown.
• The tree is not able to independently regulate the amount of the crop. After abundant fruiting, it poorly restores strength, gets sick, the branches dry out, which affects the life of the tree.
• Without pruning, fruiting gradually decreases, becomes irregular.
• A weakened plant does not tolerate frost well.
• In an exhausted tree, the quality of the crop gradually deteriorates.

In order to achieve full fruiting and a long life of culture, it is necessary to constantly perform different types pruning.

Types of pruning and timing

To maintain the proper development of the tree, the following types of pruning are performed:

1. Formative.
2. Regulatory.
3. Rejuvenating.
4. Recovery.
5. Sanitary.

All types of pruning are carried out in a complex.
For work, choose one of the seasons of the year - spring, summer, autumn.

1. Apricot pruning in the spring is carried out before the leaves bloom (in March-April) at a temperature of at least +8°C. Spring pruning is considered one of the most suitable for regions with cold winters, as it enhances the winter hardiness of the tree.
2. AT summer period in early June, before the laying of new buds, before flowering, only anti-aging procedures are carried out.
3. In the summer in August, experts recommend making the main regulatory pruning. If the tree is pruned in August, the buds will be laid later and bloom later, will not suffer from return frosts.
4. Autumn pruning of apricot. It is held on October 10-20, when the tree has finished fruiting, at a temperature not lower than +8°C. In such conditions, the wounds of the tree heal faster. The time is chosen according to temperature regime region.

It is carried out for medium-sized varieties, early, old trees.

The main types of apricot crowns

The process of forming a correct, well-ventilated and lit apricot crown begins in the first years of growth. It continues for 4 years before the onset of the fruiting period. After the start of fruiting, forming pruning is not carried out for some time (2-3 years).
Apricots form two types of crown:

• sparsely-tiered with 5-7 main branches, which are 30-40 cm apart from each other;
• flattened cup-shaped crown. In general, it is done in the same way as when creating a tiered crown, the tree is left without a conductor.

Dwarf trees are formed by a bush.
The most common is a sparse-tiered crown. The apricot pruning scheme is simple, according to the scheme, even a novice gardener will do the job successfully.

Formation of a sparse-tiered crown

Consider how to cut an apricot to get a longline crown. As a rule, it is possible to form it in several approaches during the first four years of the tree's life:

• In the spring, immediately after planting, the primary pruning of an annual seedling is carried out.
  • If the seedling does not have branches, after planting it should be cut at the level of 80-90 cm.
  • If it has side branches, choose 3-4 running along the row, cut them down to 60 cm on the outer bud. Cut the remaining branches into a ring (as close to the trunk as possible). The central conductor should be 25-30 cm higher than the others. The stem height is 50 cm.
  • Pruning of a planted two-year-old is carried out in a year, since the rooting of the plant will take a long time.
• In the summer, in the year of planting (possible in July - August), remove the shoots growing inside the crown, under acute angle, crossing.
• In subsequent years, lay 3-4 skeletal lateral branches with second-order branches at a distance of 35-40 cm from each other.
• While there is no lower tier of 3-4 skeletal branches, do not lay the second tier.
  Make sure that there is a correct subordination of shoots: the upper ones should not overtake the lower ones in growth. Shoots should be directed to the outside from the central conductor.
• The next year after laying the last skeletal branch, it is necessary to cut the central conductor.
• In the fourth year, the tree begins to bear fruit on shoots of the 3rd order. The formation of the apricot crown is stopped before it comes into force.
• Starting from the 6th year of development, with the help of different types of pruning, the formed crown is supported by the apricot. With an increase in shoots of 40 cm, it is necessary to closely engage in formative pruning.

Pruning is carried out in the middle of the growing season if the tree does not bear fruit. In the harvest year, pruned after the end of the harvest.

We regulate the growth of shoots and fruiting

To maintain the shape of the crown, lighten it, stimulate the growth of new shoots, limit fruiting, different types of pruning are used in combination.
Regulatory pruning is carried out either in autumn or late summer. Pruning of strongly growing trees is carried out constantly. How to prune an apricot? Follow this order of actions:

• First, dry, diseased, broken branches should be cut out, as well as shoots that interfere with each other, cross, shade, grow inside the tree.
• Once you've peeled the apricot, move on to trim pruning. Shorten annual shoots to 30 cm. This will be enough for good fruiting next year.

Restorative pruning

For 5-9 years of a tree's life, once every 3 years, a restorative pruning is carried out, designed to stimulate the active growth of shoots, increased fruiting. During the process, the crown is restored.
Perform work in the spring period in March-April. The apricot pruning scheme in spring consists of the following steps:

• To prevent overloading the tree with fruits and the appearance of bare branches, cut the tree into 2-3 year old wood.
• Strong shoots are shortened to 30 cm.
• Weaker branches are cut to a quarter. This stimulates the development of internal side shoots. A weakened tree after fruiting will not expend energy.
• Three strong shoots that will bear fruit are left.

Conditions are created for a strong growth of shoots, foliage. The buds of a new crop are laid. The next year you will see results: the size of both leaves and fruits will increase. This state of the tree will last 3 years.

How to rejuvenate an apricot

Rejuvenating pruning is done on old trees, in which the growth of shoots slows down (up to 20 cm), neglected, which were not cared for.
Experts recommend doing work in August (late summer pruning of an old apricot). At this time, there is no growth, flower buds are not laid.
When cutting an old apricot, follow the recommendations:

1. The more neglected the tree, the more it should be pruned. The plant will recover in 2-3 years.
2. Works are carried out in several steps over 2-3 years.
3. Start pruning from semi-skeletal branches, from the peripheral part. Remove overlapping, obscuring branches.
4. Branches are cut at the age of 4-6 years. Cover the cuts with garden pitch or oil paint.
5. If such pruning is not enough, shorten 15-20% of healthy branches to the lower branch.
6. Do not shorten the bare part of the tree.
7. Skeletal branches of the first order are removed only as a last resort: if they are broken or damaged by diseases.
8. The peripheral part is cut, cutting off the main branch inside to a healthy necessary branch.

For your information, the yield of a heavily pruned tree will drop dramatically.

When pruning, listen to the advice of experts:

• Combine rejuvenation with crown shape correction.
• Perform sanitary pruning regularly in any season to keep the tree healthy.
• Young shoots should not be greatly shortened until the apricot comes into force.
• After pruning, the tree must be watered.
• In the dry season, pruning should be postponed.
• During work, use sharp tools, garden pitch, oil paint.
• It is better to cut 2 large branches than many small ones.
• Do not cut many large branches at once, do it gradually.
• Feed and water the plant after pruning.

Instead of a preface

On a long trip or on a Sunday trip out of town, I always take with me ... a portable folding hacksaw. It helps when meeting with a dry tree or a withered branch to try a new wood material or replenish stocks of an already known one. So I discovered hawthorn, wild maple species, sandy locust, mountain ash, tamarix. He worked out the technology of processing juniper, found the use of honeysuckle. I replenish the supply of apple wood, barberry, cherry plum, almonds ...
It is not easy to know which wood is suitable for a particular application. Not all tree species can be found in books and on the Internet, as many of them are not popular with woodworkers due to their rarity or local prevalence, due to thin trunks, tendency to crack, due to excessive hardness, color, texture, etc. .P. And often only because cabinetmakers simply do not have the opportunity and time to extract raw materials and they follow the beaten path - to the store or to the market.
If some material is not widely used, then this does not mean at all that it is bad. Perhaps with your experiments you will be able to discover “your” material, ideally suited specifically for your creativity.

I will share some observations that were formed in the process of experiments with natural and cultivated wood. I hope the above information will be useful to someone.

Walnut ( Juglans)

Perhaps everyone knows this wood. Dark, with a discreet but beautiful pattern, durable in operation and excellent in processing, walnut wood has de facto become the standard of "mahogany" - a synonym for the nobility and elitism of the product. In Uzbekistan, wild walnut ( Juglans fallax) grows in the mountains and foothills, but cultural plantings of walnut are much more widespread ( J. regia, J. kamaonia, J. nigra).
Walnut wood is a popular woodworking material. We make carved boxes, decorative plates, bookends, pencil cases, cutting boards, cigarette cases, carved doors and shutters, columns of religious premises from it. If elm (elm) and plane tree (plane tree) are more often used for massive architectural products, then refined and refined products are mainly made of walnut.
Walnut wood is perfect for both massive products with large surfaces, and for small plastics, where the texture and color of wood can play the role of an expressive element.
Walnut varies quite a lot in color and density. The darkest and densest are the areas close to the core, the sapwood is lighter and more porous. The place of growth and age of the tree affects the color and density, and therefore parts of the trunk and fragments of different trees can differ significantly in texture, pattern, tone. In composite products, this allows you to beat the natural color of the wood to realize the artistic intent. It is believed that the wood of city trees is lighter and therefore less valuable. In my opinion, this is a consequence of comparing different types of walnut wood.
The walnut is well cut, not prone to splitting, relatively easy to grind and polish. Due to the fine-fiber structure, it perfectly holds the relief and therefore allows you to create small carving elements. However, walnut can be “tricky” when planed - a poorly visible and variable direction of the fibers, especially in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bknots, can cause scuffing of the wood surface.
In my works, I use walnut wood as a base for inlay, for making expressive contrasting elements when creating jewelry and small plastic items. Dark walnut wood blends beautifully with light accents such as mother-of-pearl and natural turquoise.

An intricately curved walnut trunk. Chatkal Range, Aksakata tract.

Untreated walnut wood.

Pendant . Dark and light walnut.

walnut.

based on arabesques - Islamic ornaments.

plane tree ( Platanus).

Chinar or plane tree - under this name this tree is better known to the inhabitants of Uzbekistan. Sycamore culture in Central Asia is over 2000 years old. It is believed that plane trees appeared here during the colonization by the Persians and Greeks. At present, age-old plane trees with trunks over a meter in diameter are quite common in the central districts of Tashkent and in many cities and towns of the republic. Thanks to the spreading crown, tall trunks and the absence of lower branches, this tree covers with a shadow large areas and therefore is widely used for planting greenery in Central Asian cities.

Giant plane trees near the city of Charvak. Place "3 plane trees".

Untreated sycamore wood. All the boards shown in the photo were obtained from one large bar. Sawing was carried out with a different angle of inclination of the saw blade.

As for the plane tree wood, it is very unusual (see photo). The characteristic pattern of plane tree cannot be confused with other wood. The core rays, appearing on the longitudinal cuts, form a characteristic pattern, called “snakeskin” among cabinetmakers. This pattern is most clear on radial cuts.
For all its originality, it is not easy to use sycamore in miniatures - the wood is beautiful in itself and sets off other expressive features of the product (volume, shape, color), captivating with overflows that depend on the angle of cut. The use of plane tree in bulk products requires special care - different parts of one piece of wood will have a non-uniform pattern. According to the author, sycamore wood with a uniform texture on flat surfaces looks especially impressive.
When processing sycamore wood, one should take into account its noticeable tendency to splitting along the fibers. Plane tree is slightly inferior in strength and uniformity to walnut.

Jewelry Set . The upper parts of the overlays are made of sycamore, cut at different angles of inclination to the radial direction. The overflow effect was achieved by selecting the cutting angle.

Almond ( Amygdalus)

In early April, in the mountains closest to Tashkent at altitudes of 1000 m above sea level, you can find pink caps of flowering almonds, which stand out in spots against the background of dark green juniper.

Prickly almond blossoms. Chatkal ridge, vicinity of the village. Nevich.

This is a prickly almond A. spinosissima) is a thorny shrub widespread in the foothills. Its wood is of little use for handicrafts due to the too thin and twisted trunk. Much more interesting is the common almond ( A. communis). These are already quite tall trees with trunks more than 30 cm thick. In addition to ordinary almonds, Bukhara almonds are found on the slopes of the remnant mountains of the desert regions of Uzbekistan ( A. bucharica). This small tree has beautiful dark wood. Unfortunately, the trunks and branches of this almond encountered by the author are strongly twisted by severe natural conditions and therefore it is not easy to find sufficiently large fragments of wood suitable for processing.

Ripe common almond

Since ancient times, almonds have been used to obtain valuable nuts, and therefore, along with wild species, cultivated or wild almonds are found in gardens and mountain plantations.

Untreated wood of common almond cut

Untreated wood of Bukhara almond on a cut

Almond wood is very heavy, dense and hard, difficult to process. cutting tool. The almond cut into planks reveals the bewitching beauty of wavy lines of different tonality - this is an “agate” pattern of annual rings that fall into the cut due to the curvature of the trunk. All the charm of almonds is manifested on relatively large surfaces. But in miniatures, the layered texture can play a cruel joke and overshadow the expressiveness of the product as a whole.
Among the disadvantages of wood, I note a strong tendency to crack during drying. Naturally occurring, dead, dry branches of almonds are usually covered with a network of cracks, often penetrating the trunk to the middle. But if you wish, you can find homogeneous fragments of wood with their pattern suggesting the shape of products.

The back side of the pendant () is made of common almond wood.

from Bukhara almonds.

Apple tree ( Malus)

Except delicious fruits it is the most common in the world fruit tree gives excellent wood. And although scientists in Uzbekistan count seven wild types of apple trees, cultivated apple trees are much more accessible and familiar.

Apple orchards near Kumyshkan

Apple plantations near Beldersay

Apple trees are found everywhere in Central Asia. Both in settlements and in the suburban area, and therefore its wood can be attributed to widespread and affordable.

Untreated apple wood and ready product ().

About 20 years ago, school rulers were made from apple wood. Students of those years should remember how good these rulers were for ... throwing paper balls. This fact speaks of the strength and flexibility of wood. With a thickness of 2-3 mm, wooden rulers served schoolchildren for several years, without breaking or deforming from active and not always targeted use.

from a single piece of an apple tree branch. The border on the end plates-legs and the handle are an apple tree of a darker color.

Apple wood has one significant drawback - it has a strong degree of compression when dried. And this means that, after sawing a chock, in a few hours you will get a cracked and unsuitable for further work stump. Therefore, when working with an apple tree, one must either choose well-dried areas and bypass cracks, or use saving methods of drying wood. After drying, you can not worry about the further safety of the tree. Apple products serve for decades without losing their visual appeal.
Apple wood is hard and uniform with a wide range of colors and textures. It is found as a very light yellowish-brown tone, as well as a dark red-brown color with beautiful stains and stripes. I met apple trees with a color of the sound part very similar in tone to walnut wood.
In terms of hardness, density and uniformity, wood is comparable to walnut, while having greater flexibility and strength with a small thickness of the material. Perfect for making combs, combs, hairpins, etc. where high strength and flexibility are required.

hawthorn ( Crataegus)

Beginning in September, merchants with basins and cardboard boxes filled with small yellow-orange fruits of the Pontian hawthorn habitually settle down in the bazaars of Central Asian cities ( C.pontica). And if the fruits of the Pontic hawthorn are mainly used for food, then all types of hawthorns growing in our region can boast of suitable for processing wood.
Hawthorn is one of the most common tree species in mountain forests. In some places it forms continuous hawthorn groves.

Blooming hawthorn. In the background is Mount Big Chimgan. Chatkal Range, Aksakata tract.

Hawthorn wood is homogeneous, dense and finely fibrous. In terms of strength and hardness, it is comparable to walnut, from which it differs in the complete absence of noticeable pores even in the sapwood.
When dried, hawthorn wood practically does not crack and does not warp, and resistance to delamination and chipping allows you to cut out complex openwork details from it even from thin planks.
The wood of the hawthorn is of a uniform pinkish-yellow or yellowish-brown color without a pronounced texture. Usually thick trunks are darker in the heartwood and lighter towards the sapwood. Thinner branches are light and uniform. Sometimes inside the trunks there is a bizarre extravaganza of drawings, in the outlines of which one can guess ... mountain landscapes in which the tree has grown.

Untreated hawthorn wood on a cut. Fragments of one trunk.

Jewelry set made of natural hawthorn wood.

Ripe fruits of Dzhungarian hawthorn (C. songorica). Chatkal Range, Aksakata tract.

Apricot ( Armeniaca)

Most of the inhabitants of Central Asia know this tree under the Turkic name "apricot". I think this fruit tree needs no introduction - apricot trees are found in abundance in landscape plantings in almost all cities and towns of Uzbekistan. Often there is a wild apricot in the foothills and mountains. In addition, in the basin of the Zerafshan River, in the foothills of the Fergana Basin and along the Kashkadarya, there is a wild Sogdian apricot ( A. sogdiana).
Many of us who grew up in the south, in childhood, despite the exhortations of our mother, ate green apricots almost immediately after flowering, finding it unusually tasty. By the way, the gastronomic addictions of the younger generation provide excellent material for crafts in the form of branches broken off under the weight of children's bodies.
Apricot wood is hard and dense, of a beautiful reddish-brown color with a bizarre sophisticated pattern.

cut apricot wood

from apricot.

This is a fruit tree that is famous for its juicy fruits. And probably few people thought that apricot wood is also a valuable material for the production of wood products. First of all, apricot wood gained popularity in the manufacture musical instruments, as it gives them a special acoustic shade. Also, due to its wear-resistant properties, it is used for the manufacture of decorative and household crafts. AT Eastern countries caskets, canes, bowls, panels made of apricot wood. Apricot smoking accessories are world famous. it smoking pipes and mouthpieces, as well as items for storing tobacco products - cigarette cases and boxes for storing cigars.

The main properties of apricot wood

How lumber relates to medium-hard rocks. The drying process takes place in a gentle mode, so it takes quite long time, to give the apricot industrial suitability. When properly processed, apricot has the properties of increased wear resistance and does not split during processing. This makes it easy to cut the material, process it by turning. Apricot wood carving is very popular. A very important property of apricot wood is its resistance to biological influences. Mold and fungus do not start on products, the process of decay is very slow. In terms of color, apricot material ranges from dark yellow to brown. Mostly used light coffee shade, which is the most common. More exotic varieties have a reddish tint, which allows you to imitate expensive woods.

One of the most popular summer fruits is the apricot. Ripe fruit has a pronounced pleasant sweet taste. Both adults and children love to eat it. But many do not realize that apricot pit can also be eaten. Moreover, it has a number of useful properties. No wonder children love apricot pits so much. Parents, sometimes, not knowing about their benefits, forbid their children to use them. But nothing will happen from the fact that the child eats a bone or two. It can be eaten directly raw.

The kernels that contain apricot kernels do not have any pronounced taste, but the oil they contain is the basis of many medicines. Fried kernels apricot kernels tasty, nutritious and healthy. The benefits of apricot kernels cannot be underestimated (calorizator). There are varieties of apricots, where a very large stone and, accordingly, the core, it is often used as a substitute for almonds. There are also varieties of apricots in which the kernels are not tasteless, but have a pleasant sweetish taste, special nutritional value, they contain about 70% of edible oil.

apricot kernel calories

The calorie content of apricot kernel is 440 kcal per 100 grams of product.

Composition of apricot kernel

Apricot kernels are valued for their vitamin content (PP, B17), minerals(iron, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium). If the bone is sweet, then it contains a lot of oil. Apricot kernels are also rich in protein.

Oil extracted from apricot kernels is especially popular. It contains vitamins: C, B, A, F, fatty acids (linoleic, oleic, palmitic), phospholipids, tocopherols and many others. useful substances.

Useful properties of apricot kernel

The use of apricot kernels is a natural anthelmintic, brewed as a tea, they can help in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. A safe amount for an adult is to consume no more than twenty apricot kernels.

A special benefit of apricot kernels is their ability to fight cancer cells. They are a kind of killer of cancer cells. This property is ensured by the presence of vitamin B17 in apricot kernels. It is in it that cyanide is located, to which doctors attribute the possibility of destroying cancer cells. The bitter taste of the seeds is ensured precisely by the presence of vitamin B17 in their composition. Its amount is directly proportional to the bitterness of the bones. As it increases, the bitterness also increases.

Harm of apricot kernel

But, in addition to useful elements, hydrocyanic acid is found in the apricot pit. An excess of this acid has a negative effect on the tissues of the intestines and on the whole organism as a whole (calorificator). Apricot kernels should not be consumed in large quantities otherwise they can harm your body.

Apricot kernel in cooking

The scope of apricot kernels is quite extensive. In cooking, they are used to make glazes, ice cream, yogurt, creams, waffles, and other sweet dishes. Apricot oil, which is also made from apricot kernels, has the most valuable properties. Apricot oil is a part of creams, shampoos, face masks, and other cosmetics.

In addition, the bones are crushed and added to compotes, jams, preserves, ice cream and pastries. From that, the taste of the product acquires a more pronounced apricot hue.

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Are Apricot Kernels Healthy?

Apricot is an excellent fruit tree that gives a useful harvest. The benefits of a juicy fruit are twofold: after tasting the fruit itself, which is a pantry of useful trace elements, you can saturate your body with many beneficial vitamins contained in apricot kernels - pits. Apricot kernels, the benefits and harms of which are multifaceted, will surprise you with their ability to influence the body.

The pits are not only nutritious, but are also the seeds of the apricot tree itself.

Nutrient content and uses of apricot kernels

Apricot seeds are rich in substances that have therapeutic effect health, produce a healing effect in many diseases, including those that are difficult to treat, and also serve to increase immunity in general.

Fruit pits, especially varieties characterized by low-juicy pericarp (part of the plant fruit), contain organic compounds of amygdalin and hydrocyanic (hydrocyanic) acid, known characteristic feature effective fight with pathogenic microorganisms that cause various diseases and are inherently pathogenic microbes.

The use of non-bitter varieties of apricot and its kernels

Non-bitter varieties of the fruit tree make it possible to use the seeds for food instead of almonds, the seeds are also used to create milk, indispensable both in cosmetology and pharmacology, which is obtained by squeezing the nucleolus of the seeds.

The nucleolus is also rich in oil content, called apricot oil, which in its totality is very fatty, the chemical composition of the oil is similar to the structure of peach oil. For medicinal purposes, oil is used in pharmacology as a substance capable of dissolving some medicinal components, serves as the basis for liquid ointments, and in the creation of injection solutions.

Due to the nutritional composition and fatty oil content, apricot kernels are actively used in the cosmetology field, as they allow the creation of dry skin care products, creams that have a rejuvenating effect and can provide nutrients dry skin, as moisturizing face masks. Apricot kernels can contribute to the creation of effective hair care products that can take care of the condition of the hair and provide them with the necessary comprehensive care.

User reviews of shampoos based on such a component indicate the possibility of a means of combating dandruff, as well as preventing its occurrence. Apricot oil is actively used in salons specializing in professional massage services, as this oil has a relaxing, soothing effect and perfectly nourishes the skin.

Bitter varieties and apricot kernels

Bitter fruit tree varieties are used in the production of almond milk - a drink based on apricot kernels and water, vegetable milk is used in food products. It is used instead of milk of animal origin by vegetarians, as well as by people suffering from individual intolerance or indigestibility of animal milk. Almond milk is an excellent source of calcium taste characteristics, does not contain the carbohydrate lactose and the organic compound cholesterol.

In cosmetology, bitter varieties of the plant, which is the source of apricot pits, are used in the production of carcasses, which are made from burnt pits.

In China, tree seeds received wide application in traditional medicine and are actively used for coughing, hiccups, as they can have a calming effect on irritants respiratory system, and thanks to the fatty oil, they perfectly lubricate the inflamed areas of the oral cavity. The use of seeds in combination with other medicinal plants is recommended for diseases of the respiratory system: bronchitis, inflammation of the trachea (tracheitis), inflammation of the mucous membranes of the larynx (laryngitis), bacterial infection of whooping cough, as well as diseases of the kidneys, including nephritis.

Universal properties of apricot kernels

Apricot kernels are an unsurpassed source of fatty oil that does not dry out when the fruits ripen and the seeds themselves are stored after eating these fruits.

Apricot seed oil contains:

• oleic acid - Omega-9 fatty acid (monounsaturated), a good prophylactic against atherosclerosis, resists the formation and fixation of cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels. An excellent component that is effective in diabetes, because it removes the insulin resistance of the body, leading to an increase in blood sugar levels, so the use of oleic acid also prevents the development of diabetes;
• linolenic acid is an omega-3 polyunsaturated acid, which by its nature is irreplaceable, due to the inability to be synthesized in the human body. These acids are effective in reducing the risk coronary disease hearts, because they reduce the level of blood pressure, the content of cholesterol in the body, triglyceride fats, and omega-3 acids improve vision, stimulate brain activity, and the rheological properties of blood;
• amygdalin glycoside - according to some studies, mainly by foreign scientists, an organic compound is considered effective in the fight and prevention of cancer, including malignant neoplasms, others - it is described as a dangerous, in some way toxic substance, in large applications which can lead to violations of normal body work. The organic compound amygdalin gives a bitter taste to apricot kernels;
• emulsin enzyme - promotes the breakdown of amygdalin into sugar, belongs to protein substances;
• lactase enzyme - necessary for the decomposition of the complex substance of the disaccharide lactose in order to avoid intolerance to milk sugar (lactose) contained in milk and dairy products;
• hydrocyanic acid - has both positive and negative physiological action. The advantage of the action of hydrocyanic acid on the body is its use as a neuromodulator, a remedy against pathogenic microorganisms, a regulator of functions of cardio-vascular system to lower high blood pressure.

The oil obtained from apricot kernels is characterized by low acidity and low internal friction (viscosity), it is successfully used in both cosmetic and medical fields.

Application in cooking

Apricot kernels are consumed fresh, roasted, poured over the cooking process and actively used in the preparation of sweets, as a filling (glaze, caramel) for cakes, waffles, cookies, in the production of dairy products. also in home cooking the preparation of compotes and various drinks with the addition of kernels is popular.

Harmful effect of apricot seeds on the body

Each product, even with universal positive properties, has contraindications for use. The negative effect of the components of apricot kernels on human health is not excluded.

• adult - no more than 40 grams of nucleoli;
• children - the norm should not exceed 20 grams!

Exceeding the permissible concentration of hydrocyanic acid, as a result of the breakdown of amygdalin, can provoke severe poisoning, but such a reaction of the body occurs when the permissible norm is exceeded several times. It is also possible to suppress the central nervous system, oxygen starvation, which hydrocyanic acid can cause, but only in a high content in the blood. In order for the level of hydrocyanic acid to be exceeded, you need to use great amount apricot kernels.

During pregnancy, you should also not abuse the kernels of apricot kernels, but you should not refuse them at all.

Apricot kernels impress with their wide spectrum of action on the internal and external state of the body, their universal properties, due to which they are actively used in cosmetology, pharmacology, are recommended in traditional medicine, as an effective remedy for diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease and other diseases. Are you wondering what is the calorie content of an apricot? The active substance amygdalin has been used as a separate ingredient in cancer research and is considered in some countries to be an effective treatment for the dangerous disease. Therefore, neglect in the use of apricot kernels is unacceptable if you want to maintain health for a long time, but with moderate use.

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The benefits and harms of apricot kernels

Apricot kernels are a valuable and useful product. Apricot is one of the most delicious and healthy fruits. The value of apricot kernels lies in the content of a large number of useful substances that are effective in combating various diseases. The benefits of apricot kernels are invaluable for human health. Oil and extract of apricot kernels are widely used in cosmetology and alternative medicine. The benefits and harms of apricot kernels cause a lot of controversy among experts.

Some argue that the use of apricot kernels is dangerous, and they can be harmful to health due to the concentrated content of hydrocyanic acid. Others claim that apricot kernels are a storehouse of useful substances and their regular use for medicinal purposes will cure various ailments. The benefits of the apricot kernel are also of interest due to its antitumor properties. Numerous studies have proven that the use of the core will delay the development and progression of cancer. It is not known for certain whether the bones can cure cancer, but it has already been proven that many who began to use them for this purpose were able to delay metastases and the progression of the disease.

Composition of apricot kernels

The bones are the core in which all the useful substances for the ripening of the fetus are concentrated. The apricot kernel tastes like a nut, and in many countries the pits are considered a delicacy. In Uzbekistan, the national dish Urbech is prepared from the bones, which is famous for its incredible taste and health benefits. Inside the seeds is an oily nut, which contains a whole range of useful substances, in particular, a rare vitamin B17. This vitamin is known for its anti-cancer properties. B17 in the human body breaks down into two substances: glucose and hydrocyanic acid. Vitamin B17 is able to suppress the formation of cancer cells, so it is able to stop or suppress their growth. Amygdalin, also known as vitamin B17, reduces the risk of cancer, so eating apricot kernels is useful for preventing and treating cancer.

Apricot kernels contain cyanide. It does not accumulate in the body and is excreted naturally, so the consumption of apricot kernels will not harm health if not abused. Apricot kernels also contain:

What are the benefits of viburnum berries?

• trace elements: magnesium, zinc, iron, potassium, sodium;
• organic acids;
• essential oils;
• fatty acid;
• tannins;
• vitamins A, C, B, K, E, P, PP.

Useful composition of apricot kernels

Apricot kernels taste like nuts. They are often used in cooking because they have an oily structure. Apricot kernels are quite high in calories: 100 grams of kernels contain more than 500 kcal, so you can’t call them dietary.

The optimal amount of consumption of apricot kernels is 12-15 pieces for an adult and 5-7 for a child.

They contain the enzyme rhodonase, which binds hydrocyanic acid and removes it from the body, so regular consumption of apricot kernels is an excellent cancer prevention and strengthening of the body.

The benefits of apricot kernels

The benefits and harms of apricot kernels are not known to everyone. Useful properties of the nuclei are the positive impact of their composition on the body. You can use nuts to treat various diseases and improve everyone. functional systems. If you regularly use nuts from the stones, you can not only normalize well-being, but also improve appearance. The beneficial properties of the nucleoli are in their effect on the body:

• increase the body's resistance to the formation of cancer cells;
• improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
• prevent the formation of stones in the kidneys and bladder;
• accelerate the healing of wounds, burns and injuries;
• accelerate recovery from diseases of the upper respiratory tract;
• prevent the accumulation of cholesterol;
• increase the protective functions of the immune system.

Taking apricot kernels improves well-being and appearance

Apricot kernels, the benefits of which are extensive, are widely used in cosmetology. They produce an oil that can be used to treat acne and instead of a moisturizer. The oil improves skin tone, makes it supple and velvety. You can use oil for hair care. Oil is used by manufacturers of cosmetic products, adding it to their products. The beneficial properties of the oil have long established it as an excellent remedy for acne, as the oil reduces inflammation and destroys pathogenic bacteria - the main cause of acne.

What is useful for the body sauerkraut

The beneficial properties of the bones have found another application in cosmetology. They make a scrub that gently exfoliates dead skin cells, nourishes the skin and stimulates blood flow. The oil is also used in cooking. Nuts are used for baking, and many manufacturers add oil as a flavoring to yogurt, ice cream and sweets.

How to eat an apricot with a stone?

Apricot kernels can be eaten just like that. Many produce nuts from them, which can be eaten raw. You can also eat crushed bones. To make them more convenient to eat, they are ground to a state of porridge in a coffee grinder. When the pits are crushed, the oily texture turns them into a paste. You can eat pasta on its own or use the recipe for the Uzbek dish Urbech. To prepare the dish, you need to mix the pasta with honey and add butter. Urbech can be eaten fresh or spread on bread.

Apricot kernels can be eaten in a crushed state

Another way to eat an apricot with a stone is apricot. Apricot is a dried apricot with a stone inside. Apricot differs from dried apricots, since apricot fermentation can take place right on the tree, and people only have to pick the fruits. Apricot is considered one of the most useful products. Useful properties of apricots are used to normalize digestive processes.

The apricot contains a large number of beta-carotene, which is not absorbed without fat, so desserts are often prepared from apricots.

Apricots are also added to real Uzbek pilaf, which becomes more fragrant from apricots. You can eat apricots in their usual form.

Useful properties of apricot oil

Useful properties of seeds are contained in apricot oil. Oil is prepared by squeezing apricot kernels by cold pressing. The extraction of oil in this way allows you to save all the beneficial properties of apricot in it. The oil has found wide application because it contains useful properties:

• softens, moisturizes and nourishes the skin;
• relieves inflammation and itching from insect bites;
• prevents the development of fungi and bacteria;
• sips the skin and promotes its regeneration and rejuvenation.

Apricot kernel oil is good for the skin

These properties have made the oil very popular in cosmetology, and now it is in the arsenal of almost every woman, and the contraindications here are minimal. With the help of oil, you can take care of:

• The skin of the face. The oil can be used in place of day and night cream as it has useful properties and suitable even for sensitive skin.
• Hair. Regular use of oil will give hair lightness and silkiness, relieve split ends and give hair a healthy shine.

You can use oil to care for joints and muscles, rub it directly into the skin where the sore spot is located.

Contraindications

Despite all the benefits of seeds and oils from them, the abuse of these products can harm the body. Vitamin B17 contains cyanide, which, penetrating into the esophagus, turns into cyanide. Cyanide can provoke an attack of suffocation and asphyxia. Harm from bones can occur when overeating and abusing them. It is not recommended to eat more than 50 grams of kernels per day. With moderate use, harm from apricot kernels will not occur. There are also contraindications to their use. The main contraindications are due to allergy to apricot and individual intolerance to the components in its composition. There are contraindications to the use of nuclei for children under 3 years of age and pregnant women.

The harm of pits is a relative concept, therefore, if you follow the recommendations regarding the permitted number of pits for consumption and take into account contraindications, then apricot nucleoli will not be able to harm the body, but will only benefit.

The apricot tree can be found on almost any garden plot. There is a wide variety of varieties and with the right approach, you can provide yourself with fragrant fruits throughout the entire period. In the article we will talk about the features of growing apricots, popular varieties and reproduction of this tree.

Ripe apricots.

Deciduous fruit tree apricot reaches a height of 5-8 meters. The bark has a light brown hue, cracks, the leaves are petiolate, rounded ovoid in shape. The flowers are white with pink veins, solitary, bloom in March-April - before the leaves appear. The fruits are orange, rounded, with one large bone inside.

An apricot tree lives for about 100 years, and begins to bear fruit after 3 years. The fruiting period lasts 30-40 years. Due to the deep root system, the apricot is drought-resistant, and in winter it can withstand frosts up to 25-30 degrees. Among the varieties of this tree, early, mid-season and late are distinguished. They bear fruit at different times.

Early varieties

Apricots belonging to such varieties ripen in early July. Among the most common are Alyosha, Lescore, Melitopol, Voronezh. The largest fruits are in the "Melitopol" variety - they weigh 60 g, have an oval, slightly flattened shape and a light yellow tint. In "Alyosha" and "Voronezh early" the fruits are small, weighing up to 20 g, the taste is slightly sour.

Mid-season varieties

Ripe by mid or late July. Among the most popular are "Pineapple", "Polessky large-fruited", "Rattle", "Kuibyshev Jubilee", "Dessert". Large and sweet apricots bear fruit variety "Pineapple", the taste with sourness and weighing up to 55 g - "Polessky large-fruited". Fruits belonging to other varieties reach 25-30 g, their pulp is sweet and sour.

Late varieties

Late apricot varieties ripen in August. These include the most winter-hardy species. Among the popular ones are Iskra with fruits weighing up to 45 g, Krasen Kyiv with a weight of up to 55 g, Success and Favorit with apricots weighing about 30 g. The pulp tastes sweet and sour. For conservation and drying (apricots), the Favorit and Krasen Kyiv varieties are usually used.

Growing an apricot tree

The most accessible and simple varieties can successfully develop and bear fruit without special care. However, to get a rich harvest, apricots need to be given attention. Trees are pruned annually, fed, and pests are prevented. For planting, it is better to purchase one-year-old seedlings - they take root easier, it is easier for them to form a crown.

It is better to plant one-year-old trees.

Location selection

It is better to start planting apricot trees in early spring- in mid-late April, if you live in northern latitudes. Residents of the southern climate can plant trees in the fall, in October, but with the expectation that the seedling will take root before the start of winter.

Of all the stone fruit crops, the apricot tree is the most thermophilic. For landing, it is better to choose a well-lit place - for example, a hill, from where cold air will go down. It is best to plant apricots in light loam, so acidic soils must be limed before planting.

Landing

A pit for planting a tree must be prepared in the fall. Its dimensions depend on the volume of the root system. If you are going to carry out autumn planting, the pit should be prepared 2-3 weeks before. It is necessary to drive a peg into the bottom of the dug hole so that it protrudes half a meter above its edges. If you plan to plant several apricots, keep in mind that each tree will need about 5 square meters. m. area.

A layer of rubble must be poured at the bottom for drainage. Peat or humus is added to the soil from a dug pit in a ratio of 2: 1, as well as 500 g of superphosphate, 2 kg of ash. The mixture is well mixed and the pit is filled up so that a slide remains on top. In this form, the place is left until planting in the spring.

Before planting, the hole is dug up to the size of the root system of the seedling. On the tree, rotten or dry roots are removed, too long are shortened. The root system is lowered into a clay mash with the addition of mullein, and then a tree is planted. The density of the talker should be such that a layer of 3 mm remains on the roots.

When planting, the neck of the plant should be 5-6 cm above ground level. After digging a seedling, you need to tamp the soil around and water the tree with 2-3 buckets of water. When the water is absorbed, the root neck will drop a little and the seedling should be tied to a peg. The soil around needs to be mulched with sawdust, grass or straw.

Watering

If the winter was not snowy, and the spring was without rain, apricots are watered in May. If you skip watering, it should definitely be done in June, especially in hot weather. Stagnation of water in the soil is also not needed, which is why when planting at the bottom of the pit, a drainage layer was laid.

Fertilization

The first dressing is applied in the spring, before the buds swell. Use a urea solution that saturates the soil with nitrogen and protects the tree from pest attacks. Please note that such a fertilizer in the spring should only be applied before the buds swell, otherwise they can be burned. 700 g of urea is dissolved in 10 liters of water and the branches are treated along dormant buds.

An apricot tree must be fed at all stages of the growing season.

If it was not possible to treat the tree with urea and the buds are already swollen, then for preventive purposes, spray the plant with any solution from the Healthy Garden, Agravertin and others series. And as a top dressing, add 50 g of ammonium nitrate and 70 g of nitrogen fertilizer to the soil around the trunk in a dry form. This is the dose for one tree.

Before the beginning of summer, in addition to the first, you can make another 1-2 top dressing. Instead of urea, it is permissible to use slurry, saltpeter, chicken manure. In the summer, foliar top dressing is introduced. Trees are sprayed with nitrogen-containing solutions in the first half of summer, in the second - with potassium phosphate.

At the end of August-September, when the crop is harvested, the trees are fertilized with a mineral complex with phosphorus and potassium or wood ash. You can add chalk to the soil. As a pest prevention, before wintering, the trees are again treated with urea. This is done when the leaves have already fallen.

Features of top dressing

Fertilizers must be used wisely.

• Top dressing with manure is carried out every 2-3 years at the rate of 4 kg per square meter. m. soil.
• Compost can be combined with organic fertilizers. It is applied to the soil at the rate of 5-6 kg per square meter. m.
• Before applying, chicken manure is mixed with compost, after which it is added to the soil at the rate of 300 g per square meter. m.
• Organic fertilizers should be applied no more than once every 2-3 years. If apricots grow under turfing, you can do without them altogether.
• Nitrogen fertilizers are applied in the first half of summer at a dosage of 30-40 g per square meter. m.
• Potassium 40% salt is applied during the entire growing season at monthly intervals. Grooves are made along the perimeter of the near-stem circle, into which fertilizer is added in a proportion of 40 g / m 2. sq.
• Before and after flowering, superphosphate is applied in the amount of 200 g per sq. m.
• In summer, apricot leaves can be fed with manganese and boron. tablespoon boric acid diluted in 10 liters of water and treated with a solution of apricot leaves 2-3 times per season.
• When the leaves on the tree have just opened, they are sprayed with a 1% solution of manganese sulfate. A month later, repeat the treatment.

pruning

Apricot pruning is carried out not only for decorative, but also rejuvenating, sanitary purposes. If the procedure is not carried out, the tree will bear fruit every 2-3 years.

The apricot tree needs annual pruning.

Pruning a young seedling

The first pruning is carried out a year after planting, in early autumn. At this time, the leading branch (conductor) is shortened by a quarter. The following year, in spring, in addition to the guide, the two strongest skeletal branches are left on the tree, shortening them by half. The rest of the branches are cut at the very base. The conductor is cut so that it is slightly (20-25 cm) longer than the others.

In subsequent years, it is necessary to form 4 more skeletal branches on the tree and branching of the second order on them. Branching should be no more than 30-40 cm apart. The upper shoots should not overtake the lower ones in growth, excess branches should be removed immediately.

By next spring, 7 skeletal branches should be formed on the tree. Now you can cut the conductor at the same level with them. In the future, you need to maintain the formed crown, removing excess and too long shoots.

Formation of an adult tree

Mature apricots are pruned in early spring, before the leaves open. Remove broken, frozen branches, form a beautiful crown. In summer, the apricot tree is pruned every 3 years in order to ensure growth. Shoots longer than 40 cm are shortened by half. After summer pruning it is important to provide the tree with moisture. If for some reason it cannot be watered, it is better not to prune in the summer at all.

Before wintering on young trees, weak and dry branches are removed, cracks and wounds on the trunk are cleaned, and these places are treated with hellish pitch. Branches directed inward are also cut to thin out the crown. Strong shoots are slightly shortened. In autumn, cut off damaged, interfering branches. If this is not enough, then about 20% of healthy branches are shortened to the lower branch.

Preparing for the winter

The apricot root system is the most resistant of all stone fruits. Mature trees do not need warming, and young seedlings need to be prepared for frost. For this, boles of one- and two-year-old seedlings are tied with spruce branches.

From above, they are additionally insulated with covering materials - lutrasil or spunbond. The bottom of the trunk is highly spudded with earth. At the end of March, the shelter is removed, after the installation of constant positive temperatures.

Pests and diseases of the apricot tree

Garden trees, including apricot trees, are regularly treated for preventive purposes. This avoids the appearance of pests and diseases.

Diseases

Apricots are often affected by moniliosis, ribbon mosaic, viral wilt, clasterosporiasis, and smallpox.

Pests

Apricots are rarely attacked by pests, but usually they are aphids, hawthorn caterpillars, codling moths, leafworms.

• The aphid is a carrier of viruses from which it is impossible to cure the plant; after it, a soot fungus may appear on the apricot. Soapy solutions of ash or tobacco are used to control insects. In extreme cases, buy chemicals"Aktellik" or "Karbofos".
• Caterpillars of the hawthorn butterfly damage leaves and buds. They need to be collected by hand, and in the fall, laying eggs in twisted leaves should be destroyed.
• The codling moth lays eggs on leaves and fruit ovaries twice a summer. To combat it, lime is used with the addition of copper sulfate, do not forget about the preventive spring-autumn treatment.
• They fight leaflet caterpillars with the help of Chlorophos solution after harvesting and in spring. They process the trunk and bases of skeletal branches.

Preventive measures

To prevent the development of diseases and pest damage, apricot trees are treated with a solution of urea in spring and autumn, as described above. At the same time, in the spring, trees are sprayed with Zircon or Ecoberin solutions. They make apricots more resistant to diseases and weather conditions.

For the prevention of diseases and pests, the foliage is treated twice a year.

Before flowering, when the air temperature is consistently above 18 degrees, the trees are treated with colloidal sulfur or the Neoron preparation to kill tick larvae wintering in the soil. To prevent the appearance of weevils, they are sprayed with Decis or Kinmiks.

When the apricots fade, to prevent the development of moniliosis, use Oxyhom or Ridomil. During the period of fruit development, trees can be treated with colloidal sulfur and Horus preparations to protect against powdery mildew and coccomycosis. Prevention should be stopped 2 weeks before harvest.

reproduction

The apricot tree is propagated by root suckers, seeds or by grafting. Most varieties are cross-pollinated, so it is impossible to predict what characteristics a tree grown from a seed will have. When propagated by vegetative methods, grown plants exactly inherit the characteristics of the mother tree.

Root offspring or shoots

They are formed at the roots in case of damage to the tree by animals, weather conditions, other factors. So the tree automatically continues its genus. In a healthy apricot, neither offspring nor shoots are formed. It makes sense to propagate in this way only own-rooted, ungrafted apricots.

To do this, it is enough to dig out a process growing as far as possible from the trunk. This must be done carefully so as not to damage root system. In the future, it can be transplanted to a permanent habitat and cared for accordingly.

Graft

The grafting method allows you to get frost-resistant trees with different characteristics. For a rootstock (a tree to which a shoot is attached for grafting), apricot, almond, cherry plum, and plum are more often used. Usually these are 2-year-old seedlings with a trunk at least 8 mm thick. Scion is called a process that will be attached to the trunk.

The best time for vaccination is April or May. Optimally, if the trunks of the stock and scion are the same in thickness. The stock must be cut at a height of 7 cm from the ground, after which the same oblique cuts should be made on it and on the scion with a disinfected knife at an angle of 45 ° C. The sections are applied to each other, lubricate the junction with garden pitch and wrap tightly with electrical tape or tape.

This is what the correct cut looks like for grafting.

If the stems of the scion and rootstock are of different thicknesses, the method of grafting by the bark or one-sided copulation is used. A side cut is made on the stem of the stock, to which the scion is wound in the same way. So that during the period of cold weather the accustomed kidneys do not freeze out, the place of vaccination is spudded with earth, sprinkled with peat or sawdust.

Growing from seeds

If you grow a tree from the seed of a self-fertile apricot, it will be more resistant to climate. The collected bones must be washed, soaked in water for a day, discarded. It is better to plant them in early or mid-autumn to a depth of 6 cm.

On top of the sowing place, you need to sprinkle with humus, grass, keep it moist. If you plant the seeds in the middle of spring, then for the winter they should be removed from the ground, placed in a box with sand and stored in the refrigerator for the winter. Ascended seedlings cover plastic bottles with a cut neck, provide watering, weeding, fertilizing. In September, the grown seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place.

You can buy apricot seedlings in nurseries. The price depends on the size of the plant and age. A one-year-old seedling costs about 450 rubles, a two-year-old - 650 rubles, a three-year-old - about 1200, trees over 5 years old cost 2500-5000 rubles.

When choosing apricot seedlings, take into account the fact that not all varieties may suit the climate of your region. Pay attention to the root system - the better it is developed, the faster the tree will take root. The trunk should be even, twigs and leaves should be healthy.

Look at the type of rootstock - this factor affects the drought resistance of the variety. The most resistant varieties - grafted on almonds, less drought-resistant - grafted on apricot, peach. The most vulnerable are seedlings grafted to plum and cherry plum. Right choice varieties and proper care of the tree will provide you with a bountiful annual harvest, which should be harvested from the branches only after full maturity.